The NFB hits the road – and is coming to a city near you!

Tom Perlmutter, the head of the NFB, is heading out on a cross-Canada tour. The tour is meant to allow him, and the NFB, to connect with Canadians. He’ll talk about the new directions we’re heading in, take your questions and talk about ways in which we can better interact.

For the past 70 years, the NFB has been telling stories that matter to Canadians – whether it be in the form of documentary, animation or fiction. Our films are inherently Canadian because they tackle issues close to our hearts and stem from the minds of filmmakers in your community, cities and provinces.

Every person who works at the NFB is intensely aware that we have been charged with the task of telling your stories, and we take that commitment as seriously today as we did 70 years ago.

The tour will take place between September 2010 and October 2011. You’ll find the tour schedule listed below. If your city isn’t listed among the 20 or so stops, don’t worry. We will be opening up a discussion forum on our Facebook page so that anyone who wants to take part in the conversation or ask questions will have the opportunity.

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17 Comments

I don’t get it. Tom Perlmutter says in his little video: “Today the NFB remains as passionate and committed to exploring the stories that reflect the reality of our diverse, dynamic and evolving country”,but you have just shut down the Winnipeg Prairie office. You know you can’t hear a voice when you’re not there.

@John Whiteway – Thanks so much for your comment. Tom will be pleased to discuss the NFB presence in Winnipeg on November 25, during his tour in the Prairies. While it is true that we have made some changes in the Winnipeg office, there is still an office there and we plan to remain present in the region. We’ll be posting more information about the Winnipeg event in the coming weeks. I hope you get the chance to attend the event and ask your questions in person.

Is there any way to expand to number of dates on this tour? A number of stops, especially in 2011, have rather vague information… does this mean other centres could be added?

I run a small cinema in Prince George, BC [Cinema CNC], attached to the local community college. We would happily host the NFB’s traveling road show. What better way to put the “N” back in NFB than to take it to the nation?

It would be great to see some presence in “other”
cities…There is a huge misconception that Vancouver/Victoria are BC. And lets not forget Whitehorse and Yellowknife. Canada’s future is in the North! With modern technology the rural/urban divide for media/education access should become a myth.

Great, nothing better than up personal, but have you got something against Calgary?
I remember the days that I could get a film from the NFB office here. I really don’t like watching a movie on a computer screen. New technology diminishes the art form.

@Peter – Thank you so much for the invitation! For now, there are no additional cities planned but we’ll keep you in mind when we get closer to the BC dates. You can also check back here to see updates to the schedule.

In the meanwhile, please join the conversation on Facebook. We’ve opened up the discussion board for the Tour which can be found here: http://bit.ly/c2NSE8. We also hope to have a live chat in the near future.

All information about the tour will be posted here, on our Facebook page and announced in our newsletter, which you can subscribe to here: http://nfb.ca/subscription.

Thank you Julie for your reply to my earlier comment.
Over the years the NFB has established itself in centres throughout Canada, and that is greatly to its credit. It could have decided to stay holed up in Montreal or Toronto and simply send producers out to visit the colonies, but it didn’t. And it did this, I think, because it recognized the obvious: how can you tell the stories of the country if you are not willing to be there among the people who’s stories you want to tell?
No, fulfilling its mandate – so eloquently presented by Tom Perlmutter in his video – has meant being there. And being there has always meant more than a small office for the occassional use of a visiting producer. It has meant being part of the life of the community, getting to know the people and their stories, getting to know their filmmakers, making links and connections.
That’s what has been taken from Winnipeg, Manitoba and this prairie region.
You suggest there will be a continued presence here. Well, what will that be? An office for an itinerant producer to use on occasional visits? A place for a digital producer whose concern will necessarily be digital projects in general, not the stories of this part of Canada?
In my opinion Winnipeg, Manitoba and the prairies have been cheated, for the NFB is as much ours as yours. If Tom Perlmutter means what he says, the only answer can be to acknowledge that a mistake has been made and to return to this part of Canada the institution that has been taken from it.

Thank you, everyone, for taking the time to comment here. We understand that some of you are disappointed with the tour’s schedule. The reality is that Canada is a big country, and we’re working on a small budget.

It’s for this reason that we set up the discussion board on Facebook. We want to hear from all of you. We want to give you the chance to have your concerns addressed and your questions answered.

Please keep the comments coming, and please join in the conversation on Facebook (http://bit.ly/95OIVf).

And if you are in one of the communities we’re visiting, please come out to the meeting. It will be a great opportunity to address all these issues face to face.

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